Some Fine Day
by Ardala91
Summary: One letter changed the lives of two cousins. One in the North and another the Fire Nation. 16 years into Fire Lord Zuko's rule, these two cousins will go to learn their bending. Cultures and views will collide. Now AU because of Legend of Korra. ON HOLD!
1. Rana's Beginning

Chapter One:

Rana's Beginning

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"_The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story." _-Ursula K. LeGuin

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

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_This world is large with countless lives living their days on it. What is one story amongst so many? Perhaps not much. There are many who are much stronger, beautiful, and all together worthier than I. My mother used to tell me stories about such great people within epic tales, such as the Avatar or our own Fire Lord. Naturally my own story cannot hope to compare, but it is still my story to tell. It began sixteen years after the second passing of Sozin's Comet, officially the sixteenth year into Fire Lord Zuko's reign…_

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My home is located on one of the smaller, insignificant islands in the Fire Nation. It is one of those with a few villages, a splendid countryside, and several different summer estates belonging to varied noble families. It is an island with rolling green hills and rocky cliffs on most of the island with a few alcoves. There are small patches of forests nestled in the hills with several different rivers of no particular importance. My home is one that has belonged to my family for generations. It is the original home of our ancestor long ago who had it constructed when he was granted the title of nobility. That is beyond memory.

It was always the home to the family until my own great-great grandfather was granted another countryside manor by Fire Lord Sozin himself. When my great-great grandfather passed on, his eldest surviving son, my grandfather, inherited this worthy estate. It was the younger son who inherited the new estate. So it has continued to this day with my mother having inherited our home as the only survivor out of three siblings. It is her cousin and his children who dwell on the other entitled land that belongs to our family.

My family is not of an important noble lineage with great power. We are of the simpler kind whom passes our days quietly in the background of the Fire Nation politics. We do not even own a home in the Capital! Most nobles do of course, the only other two families that have estates here only come in the summer, if at all. If only my father had done things of more note in his military career, that is, before the war ended. Fire Lord Zuko ended the war officially coincidently right around the same time as my brother and I were born. My father was not the kind for politics, not even locally, so we have thrived in our family estate quietly for all these years. Father is a younger son from some noble family only recently granted the title within the last several generations. I have always theorized that there must have been a falling out between them for he does not speak of them nor is there any contact from them.

Family is important in Fire Nation culture. There is my family, meaning my father, mother, and my brothers. I have only three cousins in my generation, courtesy of my mother's only two cousins. During the war, many of our family members died from what I have heard. My mother does not like to talk about the hundred-year war. It ended right when I was born and I have never left the island our home is on. The war's scars and the hard-earned peace for the last sixteen years do not touch me.

I am content with my life. My older brother Koun, two years senior to myself, has been attending one of the elite academies for nobility since he was twelve. It is an honor for him to attend such a school. My parents have high hopes for him. Twins are supposed to be a common occurrence in our family for two of my cousins are twins. My brother Ryda and I are twins, though we have absolutely nothing in common. Ryda inherited our father's looks and our parent's firebending. Koun is already becoming the dashing firebender and Ryda shows some promise as well. My parents are firebenders, but not of any prodigy skill.

I am not a firebender, but that has not ever bothered me. In several years, my parents will arrange a suitable marriage for me. My mother has raised me as any proper Fire Nation lady should be. I will have my own house to run hopefully and a family. That is what I want. There are schools that Fire Nation nobility can attend that do not include commoners, but I did not ever attend one. Ryda argued his way into attending one, instead of the private tutoring that is usual in our family. There is only one on our island that is open to the other classes as well, or those who can afford it that is. I would rather be pushed in front of a stampeding Komodo-Rhinoceros than go to such a place! It has always been my family and I. I am not used to large crowds of people and have no desire to be in such a place.

Today was a day that was like any other for me. I spent my morning studying with the tutor my parents hired. He is one of those old teachers who speaks in way that would put one to sleep. My consolation was that was for my own good. My mother is usually busy with household duties and if not, is usually out in her own private garden. As for my father, he will attend to several local villages to hear their hum-drum affairs and problems. I do not know if he actually has to do anything there, perhaps it is because he has no other way to spend his days. There are farms around our estate, maybe he has something to do with local exports and trade? Either way I do not care, it does not concern me and nobility should not do the tasks that belong to the working class.

* * *

This afternoon, I sat in my favorite courtyard. The red brick's were warm from the sun's touch and the stone bench underneath me was pleasant to sit upon. A tall tree sat near me, the only one in the courtyard, with pale green leaves. The tree had already blossomed its pink flowers weeks ago. One lone fountain stood in front of the tree with the sound of tranquilizing water. The bench I sat on was position slightly in front of the fountain towards the right of the tree. The courtyard is enclosed by four covered walkways supported by red painted pillars. Doorways line the wall they connect to, leading to the inside of my ancestral home.

I scowled as I held the stringed instrument called an erhu in my lap. My mother had given it to me as a present. It had meant something important to her for it had belonged to her mother. I had not known my grandmother. She had died only months before I and my brother were born. Perhaps my grandmother had been skilled on it, but I was having extreme difficulty in learning the wretched instrument. My tutor had no idea how to play, thus I was left to my own devices. "Can't you play that somewhere else?" My brother's familiar voice demanded. I looked up to see him walking into the courtyard with his hands dramatically put over his ears. He still had on the stiff grey and black uniform of his school; it resembled the military outfits of our nation, and was lined with the traditional red. Ryda's face demanded attention with his dark amber eyes. They were almost a shade of brown, but they were magnetic against his pale skin and the wider shape of the eyes we had both inherited. Ryda was good looking enough I suppose, but I did not pay attention to that sort of thing for my brother.

"You don't own this courtyard!" I snapped in return. Ryda sighed as if he were talking to the dumbest person he knew. His hands had settled to his side and one naturally brushed the stray wisps of black hair that escaped from his top-knot. He had the curse of father's curls which I had found ways to mock him with.

"I might one day," He commented dryly.

"You're not the oldest, curly," I replied with relish at the hated nickname. "Koun is and then I, you're the baby, simply put."

"That did not stop mom from inheriting," Ryda responded in a smug tone. My jaw dropped open. She had had a brother and sister once, but the sister had died in childhood and the brother later on as a man serving in the war.

"So…that was all a long time ago, who cares?" I said with a careless shrug. Honestly, what did it matter at all?

"If you really think about it, our cousin should be inheriting. His dad was born before mom was," Ryda continued on, ignoring my words. "I suppose he can't inherit because of being the son of an Earth Kingdom peasant."

"Ryda!" I gasped, looking around to see if any of our parents were around. "You shouldn't say that."

Ryda rolled his eyes visibly. "It wasn't anything bad, just the truth." We had met our cousin several times over the years and he is likeable enough, for an Earthbender that is. Our long-dead uncle had married an Earth Kingdom peasant _during_ the war. Old family history. Our cousin, Hé, lived with his mother in the Earth Kingdom. Why was Ryda even caring to talk about this? What did it matter? I do not get my brother; it is as if he was born being the opposite of me in every possible way. Our older brother Koun I did not know anymore. He had been gone for years now with only the occasional visits. "But unfortunately for me, the war is not around anymore to get rid of my competition for me," Ryda said with a half-attempted laugh. "Funny, right?"

"You have a weird way of thinking," I said shortly. He was getting on my nerves. "I can't believe I'm related to you."

"Blood is thicker than water," Ryda returned with a carefree smile. He was in the mood to ignore and started to jaunt away from the courtyard. "You should appreciate me more."

I kept down an unlady like urge to snort at that. A familiar shape hovered in the background. Soran. He was a long-time servant of my family and the man who had watched over my brother and I as children. Soran's hazel eyes watched me critically as he moved to sit by me on the bench. His face, beautiful in a strong sort of way, was beginning to show the signs of later middle-age. Soran is like family to me. "Don't fuss about your brother," Soran said quietly. "He's at that age."

"What age?" I asked, while fiddling with the bamboo bow string in my left hand. Soran understood the two of us like no one else did and had always been our mediator as children. I looked back at his face when I heard him chuckle.

"You'll understand soon enough," He answered with a caring smile. Soran stood and patted me on the shoulder as he left the courtyard without another word. I was left for another hour in painful solitude as I attempted to play an impossible instrument. My mother soon came to show with her wide golden eyes and soft smile. She was a beautiful woman with tall, graceful features and curves. Her ebony hair pillowed around her slender shoulders except for a small portion which was pulled up into a messy form of a top-knot. She wore the comfortable loose robes she preferred for informal, house wear. I knew I looked nothing like her.

"You sound exquisite, Rana," She beamed at me with a kiss on the cheek. I looked at her expectantly. She usually did not disturb me for another several hours. "Your father and I need to talk to you." I rose to my feet and tucked my erhu beneath my arm and followed my mother out of the courtyard.

* * *

After putting the erhu away in my room, I went to the family dining room. Father and mother sat by each other on the soft, red cushions. The low table, made out of aged red wood, was painted with the insignia of our nation. The dining room is made of dark red wood floors and similar wooden walls. Banners cover two opposing walls of scenic landscapes and two open archways with decorated beams on the other sides of the room. They sat on the head of the table and I sat near to the right of my father on an adjoined corner.

Father's dark amber eyes were unreadable, but his scar on his face seemed pulled tighter as if he were grimacing. I did not take much notice of it. Mother was acting the same as her constant cheerful self. I sat down on the silken cushion serenely. Maybe they had decided to start looking for a husband for me? It was a little earlier than I had expected…

"Rana, have you ever wondered why you're not a firebender?" My father questioned me suddenly. My father was more to the point than my mother ever was, but in a kind way.

"No," I said with a smile, "There are many children born into firebending families who cannot firebend." My mother looked at my father with a facial expression I could not place. It was her eyes that startled me, something in them…

My eyes were drawn to her clutched fist which held a scroll tightly. I could see the tops letters peeking out past her palm, which read _"To my sister Narimi, daughter of the…." _The rest was hidden by her clenching hand. _Sister?_ My mother had no sister. "Rana, there is a reason you're not a firebender," My mother began softly and slowly. Her beautiful face was anxious. "You must try to understand…my grandmother was a waterbender. One of her two daughters, my aunt, inherited her bending. My sister…she did also."

_Huh?_

I stared at my mother in shock and part-revulsion. The blood of Water Tribe peasant flowed in my veins? I was descended from a peasant? An inner voice cackled within me, _"It explains everything…why you cannot bend…and why you don't even resemble your parents. You're a throwback to your peasant grandmother!"_ "No!" I yelled, slamming my hands down on the table furiously. The hubris voice within me disappeared. My mother looked at me with grieving shock and my father's face was surprised at my display. I did not act like this. I am the obedient and good child.

"I'm sorry for keeping this hidden from you," My mother continued with an apologetic tone. "Even your father did not know for the longest time." I shook my head, refusing to take this in. I have not ever waterbended a day in my life! This could ruin my chances for a good marriage! "I thought that if you did not know, it would not matter," Mother added sincerely.

"The point is that you're a waterbender," My father interrupted at last, "And a bender must learn their art."

"I cannot waterbend!" I shouted, standing to my feet. "Have I ever done it? NO!" I had not ever been in a rage as the one I was in now. I had only ever had small skirmishes with my brother, nothing more. Denial and anger surged through me as I stood taller than my sitting parents, feeling at last that I towered over them with my short stature.

"Look," My father said calmly, as if I were not yelling at him. I looked down at the table to where he pointed. There had been two cups filled with wine for themselves. One of the cups was split in half. The red wine started to seep across the table, resembling a pool of blood. I sat back down without another word. "Your mother's sister did not die in childhood. She went to live in the Northern Water Tribe. Your mother has received a letter from her." He looked over at my mother who gave him a precarious smile.

"I have not heard from her…since…her story is a long one, but she found me again when I was pregnant with you and your brother," My mother paused with a far-away look in her eyes. "She is going to send her youngest child here. Your cousin apparently is a firebender."

"What your mother means to say," My father continued with an unreadable expression. "Is that she has inspired us to do the same. You will be going to live with your aunt and her family in the Northern Water Tribe to learn your bending."

The other cup on the table splintered as the wine within froze and expanded.

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A/N: This is actually a sequel to another OC story of mine called Some Distant Day. This story is about the daughter of the main character from that story and her niece. This series will be written in a way that doesn't require the first series to be read in order to understand it. This series will involve characters from the show and even more in later chapters. (hint!) There are two main characters for this story: Rana, and her cousin who will be met in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review.


	2. Nozomi’s Beginning

Chapter Two:

Nozomi's Beginning 

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"_There is a woman at the beginning of all great things."_–Alphonse de Lamartine

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

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_Once I dreamed of travelling the world and experiencing it all. I wanted to do great things and to live life as I thought my parents never had. There was the feeling that I did not belong at my home. I wanted…I wanted…yet little did I know that I could lose everything because of that single desire. It was sixteen years after the end of the hundred-year war when the day came that my wish was finally granted…_

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"Nozomi?" Arata's voice called questioningly. I looked up from staring at the complacent water in the canal. I sat on the edge of the icy railing with my feet hanging only inches above the frigid water. The sun was out and creating the usual blinding light from reflecting on the ice-madebuildings. My cousin, two years older than me, walked over with a look of concern. He had the same dark shade of blue eyes that my father did. It is a popular trait in our family. They are a color that is a true midnight-blue, like the dark depths of the ocean. Arata has grown tall like some foreign plant over the last few months and seemes too gangly for his feet. Once he fills out a little more, girls will be sighing over him. Arata has the high cheekbones and smooth tan skin that everyone has in the Water Tribe, except for one person. He sat down next to me and pushed his dark, brown hair out of his face. He wears it long and only half-held back. "Ronintold me you were out here," He began, while pausing to brush some snow off his dark, blue pants. Everyone's clothes are a similar shade of dark blue. "He mentioned something about another fight?"

Arata is like another brother to me. My only sibling and brother is Ronin, who also happens to be my elder by only a few hours. Ronin enjoys pointing that out, even though we are both twins. The three of us, Arata, Ronin, and I are the only ones close in age in our large, immediate family. Arata and Ronin are my family and my two closest friends. Arata is the one I can talk to, unlike my brother, about anything. Ronin is more of a talker than a listener, unlike Arata. He does not speak much. I looked over at his waiting face and let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't stand her!" I began to ventilate. "She doesn't understand anything about me. She won't let me do anything that I want to do!"

Arata patted my on the shoulder. "Aunt Sayuri isn't exactly the understanding type or very communicative. I understand completely," He replied with a shrug. "She's a bit of a control freak."

"A little?" I said sarcastically. "She's only teaching me how to be a wife…a home-maker. That's not what I want!" Arata did not say anything as I glared at the water. I wanted to travel, to do _something_. I did not just want to be another nobody, another wife of some Water Tribe man who has babies and have that be the greatest accomplishment of my life. Thank the spirits I am not of marriageable age yet. At the rate my mother and I were going at, one of us will probably kill each other before than anyways. Arata knows of my desire to get out of the Northern Water Tribe. I want to meet important people, like the Avatar himself or his wife! Now she's a woman to admire. It is because of her that girls can train fight with their waterbending in the Northern Water Tribe. She was the first one to do so.

"We're young. My dad always says that I have no idea when it comes to what I really want," Arata advised. "Things change, you know."

I snorted loudly. "Since when do you listen to your parents?" I teased with a wide smile. I could already feel my anger slipping away. Arata always knows how to calm me down.

"He does more than you do," My brother's voice interrupted. I looked over to see him strolling towards us luxuriously. Ronin is taller than me now and has the promise of our father's build. He has the same midnight blue eyes as Arataand our father's cheeky grin. His skin is a lighter shade than usual, a contrast to my own skin color, and he has the same ebony hair as I do. Ronin is the kind of teenager who is popular with the girls and even more so because he is a powerful waterbender.

"At least I'm not the golden boy in their eyes," I quipped in return as Ronin stood smirking over us.

He shrugged with a care-free grin. "I can always blame everything on you and they'd believe it."

I growled and swatted at his nearby leg. "Nozomi!" A feminine voice said coldly. I looked over to see the small form of our mother watching me with a frigid gaze. "You should not hit your brother. It is not proper," She continued sternly. "Now come."

"Why?" I demanded in return. "I already finished my chores."

My mother turned around and stared at me with her blue eyes. They are a light sky blue in the middle and ringed with a dark blue around the edge. They are a beautiful pair of blue eyes that now gave me the no-nonsense look. "There is to be a feast tonight," She replied indifferently. "The Avatar and his family arrived today."

"The Avatar?" My brother gaped. "We are going to the welcoming feast?"

"Of course, everyone is," Our mother said with a small smile towards Ronin. He was her _favorite_. I felt a spasm of jealousy that always haunted me since early childhood.

"If you're lucky, you could woo one his daughters," I teased at Ronin. The jealousy disappeared.

His face lighted up at the prospect. None of us had met the Avatar before, though he did visit our tribe last almost ten years ago. Everyone knows about his wife and children. The Avatar is the most revered person in the entire world after all! "That might be hard for him to do, especially since the oldest one is not any older than the number of fingers on your hands," My mother intervened. My brother glared at me with a wicked grin. I always know how to dash his hopes.

My mother has become shorter than me over the last several years. I stand at least a head higher than her, but she still has a commanding presence that makes me feel minuscule. My father is a waterbenderand works on the fishing boats that go out daily. He also works on the patrol ships. He is loving and kind. Our relationship has always been good. My mother…she is a waterbender, but unlike father, she is not particularly strong with it. She is nothing but a homemaker and uses her gift for paltry tasks. I have not ever understood her. She is so distant and judgmental! She refuses to talk about her past and family. Ronin thinks she's originally from the Southern Water Tribe, but are there other pale waterbenders there? There has been contact with our sister tribe yearly since the war ended, but I have not ever met anyone from there personally.

I have been raised in a large family with a multitude of waterbenders. My parents are. My twin brother is. I am not. This has always shamed me, not that I would ever admit it to anyone. Arata knows. Somehow he always seems to know me better than I know myself.

"Nozomi, I do not want to repeat myself," My mother said with a hint of anger. I got ip and walked over. The snow crunched underneath my boots. "You too, Ronin," My mother said with her voice growing a touch softer. "Arata, you better head home. Everyone is going."

"Yes, Aunt Sayuri," He said respectfully. He winked at Ronin and I as he trotted off without another word.

* * *

Our home is located on one of the upper tiers of the city, near the training grounds. The Chief's Palace is only two tiers above us! My father is one of six children. Our family has developed something of a reputation of importance. Uncle Ronin, my brother's namesake, is the oldest. He led the family after their father was killed during the war. He is a warrior and sacrificed his chance to have his own family to care for his siblings instead. He has served our tribe well. Chief Arnook made him a member of his council several years ago. This position brought prestige to all of his kin.

I changed to my better parka, including my pants and long-shirt. When I walked out into our general living space, my mother was on her knees in front of the open fire in the middle of the room. Furred animal pelts cover the ground and most of the wall. Our home is circular in shape with this room being the center. The ceiling is domed and has small holes for near the top for the smoke to escape. There is one main entrance with a curtained, animal skin serving as a door. There are three rooms with entrances spaced evenly spaced along the circular wall. One is my room and my brother's, another is a sort of storage/cooking space, and the other is my parent's room. My mother was already dressed impeccably. She looked at me with a blank stare. "Is that how you are going?"

"Yeah."

She frowned. "You need to do something else with your hair," She criticized with a careless gesture of her right hand. I looked at the malformed digits on her hand. Her hand used to scare me as a small child, but not ever my brother. She said she lost her fingers to the snow-bite because of her own stupidity in her youth. Her injured hand does not even seem to bother her at all. My mother always wears her long, ebony hair in a top-knot. It is not a usual hairstyle for the women here. I have my own hair braided into one plait with several small braids pulled back with it.

"My hair is fine!" I snapped with my voice rising.

"She looks fine, mom," Ronin interceded gently as he entered the room. He smiled at her dazzlingly.

"I suppose you are right," She amended. "Where is your father?"

"He is already at the Palace with Uncle Ronin and Uncle Hisoka," Ronin reported while stretching his arms. "Father and Uncle Hisoka get to sit near the council."

My mother's facial expression did not change. "That is good news," She said simply. "Now let us go."

* * *

We went to the traditional place for grand meals for our tribe, located near the Chief's palace. There is a flat courtyard with a space to cook and a grand fountain in front of the waterfalls. The palace towers overhead on the next level. Across from the fountain is the raised platform where the Chief, his council, and honored guests sit. In front of the fountain is a platform where Master Huyu and his students will give a show with their waterbending. The other two sides are where everyone else sits with the tiered eating spots. Not everyone gets to attend this feast, so to be here is quite an honor. I sit on the right side of the courtyard in one of the upper rows. My mother sits to the right of me and the spot to the left of me is empty for Ronin is to perform with Master Huyu. Arata sat behind me. The rest of our family is in the same row as myself or surrounding me. A giant crab is being cooked over the central pit in the courtyard. My eyes were concentrating on the main platform, where my father sat. He and Uncle Hisoka sat by Uncle Ronin, near the left end of the table with the rest of the council. They looked so grand and proper sitting up there.

Uncle Hisoka wears his hair in a warrior's wolf-knot and can be recognized for his scars across his face. They are the remains from the attempted seige by the Fire Nation years ago. He is married to one of my two aunt's and is a gruff sort of man, but kind in his own way. Uncle Ronin has the same midnight blue eyes that unlike my father, are constantly serious. He is a warrior in his build and only speaks with calm wisdom. My father always wears his dark hair free and long with a few braids in it. The black curtain makes him recongizable sitting at that table. He lifted his head back to laugh. My father has an...interesting sense of humor.

To the right of Chief Arnook sat the Avatar. I have not ever been so close to the Avatar before! I had glimpsed a sight of him from afar as a child.

He is dressed in peculiar looking robes of yellow and orange. The famous blue arrow tattoo is visible on his bald forehead. The Avatar is as pale as _my mother_ is. I blinked in surprise. I have not seen someone else with the same color as her before. The Avatar was laughing with flashing white teeth as he talked to Chief Arnook beside him. Next to the Avatar, sat his famous wife, Katara. She is a waterbending master and renown for her role in the end of the war. She was the first to train to use her waterbending for fighting here in the Northern Water Tribe. She is an idol to many of the waterbending girls here. She has the dark skin of our tribe and a beautiful face. She holds a baby in her arms, whose dark hair was the only thing visible from his swaddled blankets as he slept in her arms. The last sitting on that side of the table where their children. Four small figures sat; the closest one to her being a pale-faced boy. The other three to the right of him are girls, all younger by the looks of it. The smallest looked no older than a toddler. All of their hair is dark, but all three of the girls go from pale skin to dark skin like their mother. I marveled at such a contradiction. My brother and I do not have such fair skin.

Chief Arnook stood up and the courtyard grew silent. "Tonight we celebrate the visit of the Avatar, Master Katara, and their family," He looked over to the Avatar with a respectful nod. "We are honored to have them grace our city for the first time in ten years. Now, Master Huyu and his students will perform!"

Applause filled the evening air. I looked over to the performance platform. Master Huyu stood in the middle. My brother was to the left of him with another student. Two others stood to the right of Master Huyu. They put on a wonderful show that had me clapping hard. My brother and Arata loved Master Huyu as their teacher. He returned from the Southern Water Tribe to take the last Master's place only a year after I had been born. My father and mother are old friends with Master Huyu. My father and Master Huyu had gone to the Southern Water Tribe with the last master to help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe after the war ended. The last master, I cannot recall his name, stayed there for some woman. Only Master Huyu and my father returned. Master Huyu hasthe brightest blue eyes that are always solemn and he is the taller, broader sort of man. He rarely says a word to anyone. Everyone else who had gone to the Soutern Water Tribe had decided to stay there permanently. The smell of the crab meat sitting before me drew my attention as I dug in and ate.

Ronin joined me soon enough as mowed down on his food with passion. "Nice job," I said to him as he ate.

Ronin paused and looked at me with his cheeks stuffed full of food. "Thanks!" He said with food spewing out. One of the articles hit me on the cheek. I shrieked with disgust and wiped it off. "Sorry," Ronin managed to say.

"Just don't eat with your mouth open," I said. He shrugged and went back to eating.

Soon enough the feast was over with. People started to drift away home in small numbers here and there. Ronin and I started to leave and waited for our mother when we noticed she was not with us. We hovered near the edge of the courtyard. My father had already departed with Uncle Ronin and Uncle Hisoka with several council members. He probably went to one of those "drinking men sessions" after a feast that he occasionally goes to. "Mom?" Ronin called out. "You coming?" I glanced back over at the head table. Chief Arnook was getting up to leave, bidding good night to the Avatar and his family.

"I will catch up," She replied with unspeaking eyes. "Go on ahead."

Ronin smiled and turned back around to walk with me. We started for the stairs that lead down to the next tier. "What's up with her?" I asked curiously.

"Who knows with mom," Ronin replied thoughtfully. "You can never tell with her."

I looked back over my shoulder towards the courtyard. The Avatar and his family were discretely heading towards the honorary guest houses on the same tier level as this one. They trailed off in between the buildings with their children tumbling about. My eyes were drawn to the familiar figure of my mother slinking into another alleyway that would take her directly in front of the Avatar and his family. _What in the name of…? _My heart pounded as I grabbed Ronin's arm to pull him after me. "Nozomi, what are you doing?" He demanded in surprise.

"Quiet!" I urged as I dragged him behind me. I went down another street by a canal that leads to where the other two streets meet. I peaked over the edge of an icy railing. We were on a bridge a short distanceaway from the Avatar and his family. The oldest one, the pale boy, skirted dangerously close to the canal's edge.

"Careful, Gyatso!" Katara's voice warned warmly. "The water is very cold. You don't want to fall in, do you?"

"No, mom," He replied with an impish smile. The Avatar stood nearby, distracted by the onslaught of his three daughters attached to his various limbs.

Ronin was crouched next to me. "What are we doing here?" He whispered annoyed into my ear. "Spying on the Avatar is kind of asking for it, Nozomi!"

"Just wait," I replied quietly. Right as I said that, coincidently, my mother appeared out of nowhere before the Avatar. The three girls froze and stared at her. The Avatar did not say a word as my mother bowed…the way she is doing it is wrong. We place our hand vertically with the other balled into a fist meeting its palm, not putting one hand under the vertical hand as she is doing now. Katara held her babe closely in her arm and pulled her eldest son closer to herself.

"Avatar Aang," My mother greeted him formally. She ended her bow and nodded respectfully towards his wife. "Katara."

Avatar Aang smiled and nodded in return. "How may I help you?" He asked politely. He stood towering over my mother, like the gigantic bears we have here in the north.

"I do not expect you to remember me," She said respectfully. "I am known as Sayuri, but I was once called Nira, bodyguard of Prince Zuko." My eyes almost popped out of my head. My boring mother whad been a bodyguard?! And to…the Fire Lord when he was a prince…but that would mean…she's from the Fire Nation!

I turned my head to look at my brother's wide eyes. The blood was drained out of his face. "That's impossible," He muttered. "She's a waterbender!"

The Avatar's grey eyes widened and Katara stared at my mother as if she had returned from the grave. "It's…been a long time," The Avatar said first slowly. One of the girls tugged at his sleeve and he shushed her gently.

"I wondered what had happened to you," Katara spoke next. Her voice reminded me of a quiet sort of power. I could see her closer from here and the look in her blue eyes spoke of love. "You went to the Southern Water Tribe with my Grandfather Pakku. I expected to see you there with the rest of them when I went there."

"I returned to the Northern Tribe with my husband," My mother answered her. "I did not think I would see either of you again."

"A lot has changed since we last met," The Avatar said precariously.

"Many things changed with the end of the war," My mother interceded with a small smile. I did not see her smile very often. Her smile now was…genuine. My throat thickened. "You have beautiful children," My mother added.

"Thank you," Katara said with a returning smile. "You said you have a husband?"

"Yes. I am married and with two children."

Katara shook her head in amazement. "I never really knew you except for as Zuko's bodygaurd, our enemy. To know that you married one of the Water Tribe is a surprise."

"You discovered my heritage at the same time I did," My mother said with a faraway look. "Back when I was a captured enemy," She paused and titled her head. "I am not here to reminisce though; I have come to ask for a favor."

Avatar Aang patted one of his daughter's head who wriggled about impatiently next to him. "What kind of favor?" He asked in his deep voice.

"Letters are hard to send from the Northern Water Tribe and I have heard of your close ties to the Fire Lord…will you be traveling to the Fire Nation soon?"

The Avatar glanced over at his wife before he replied. "No, we are going to tour the northern part of the Earth Kingdom next."

"Would you be able to send a letter on from there?" My mother inquired patiently. "It is a matter of importance."

Katara looked at my mother curiously. "Yes, we could," She answered her, "But may I ask why?"

My mother looked away from their searching eyes. "Twins are common in my family," She began to say. I looked over at Ronin who's gaze was trained on our mother. She did not _ever _talk about her family "My firstborn son was born with his father's eyes and I knew him to be a waterbender, but my daughter…she was born with golden eyes. I knew that she would not ever belong here."

My heart pounded and pounded. What did this mean? Could it be that…?

"She is a firebender and needs to learn her bending. I want her to stay with my sister in the Fire Nation," My mother explained with her voice growing soft. "Before she turns sixteen, the marriageable age here. She needs to leave before then."

My heart felt like it would come out of its chest. It made so much sense now. As if all the pieces had fallen into place. Why I am not a waterbender…why I have the eyes I am always ashamed of…

I am going to leave! To travel to the Fire Nation! I am not cursed to remain here as some wife, but will get to learn firebending! I almost cried with joy. I looked over to Ronin to see his shocked face as he looked at me with a new light. He jerked his head for us to leave and I nodded. We quietly started to sneak away as I heard the Avatar's voice drift into the night air. "It would be my pleasure to do this for you."

* * *

I stood on the bridge near our home over a tiny canal, sitting on the frozen edge. The moonlight bathed the icy buildings around us, creating a soft glow. "I can't believe you're a firebender!" Arata exclaimed next to me as he stood leaning across the railing on the other side of the bridge. My brother sat on the railing next to him. My brother, with his large mouth, had just told him. Arata lives right next to us and we meet out at this bridge all the time. The moon was rising ahead of me. The Water Tribe reveres the ocean and moon spirits because they are the heart of their ability to waterbend. Even more so now, for many remember Chief Arnook's daughter who died to save the moon spirit during the war. The stories about her sounded like myths to me. The nighttime is when waterbending is the strongest and all of the Water Tribe feel akin to the night. To the moon and ocean. I never have. The sun…firebending…the warmth of the heat. They were always more attractive to me, filling me with a sense of life. It makes sense now. I have always hated the coldness of my home. I looked at Arata with joyful eyes. "This means I get to leave. To do what I want!" I declared happily. I do not care if my mother has lied to us, if she has kept this secret…I am going to be free of her soon enough. I do not care anymore!

_What about your father? Arata? Ronin? Your family?_

I shrugged the thought away. "This is something to be celebrated you two, not sulked over!" I said with a wide grin.

Ronin looked at me with crossed arms and let them fall to his side. "If this is what you want, than yeah…I guess," He said with a smile. "Just don't cause to much trouble."

Arata looked at me with knowing eyes. "I know you're not happy here and fate seems to have given you what you wanted in a way." He came over and pulled me into a quick hug. "I'm happy for you."

I looked over his shoulder at the silver moon. Soon I would be free of the Northern Water Tribe. Soon…I would be…

* * *

A/N: At last we meet Nozomi! The next chapter will be from Rana again. Any advise? Comments? Thanks for reading and please review.


	3. Truth & Denial for Rana

Chapter Three:

Truth & Denial for Rana

* * *

"_We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter."_ -Denis Diderot

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

* * *

The water lapped lulling against the sides of the ship, rocking us gently back and forth. I held onto the railing with tight hands and tried to resist the temptation to disgrace myself over the side of the ship. I kept it down naturally for such a thing is unladylike behavior. I had been on the ship for several days now. It is a passenger and cargo ship of my own country that over the next few weeks will be stopping port-to-port along the Earth Kingdom's western coast until we head for the Northern Water Tribe.

I still can't believe everything that my mother told me! I can't believe they are sending me to live with an aunt who married into the peasantry of the Water Tribe! That…I….I am a waterbender, inheriting this ability from my great-grandmother! I glared at the dark water bitterly. My own supposed element and it made me sick! Worse yet, they sent me to travel on my own without a chaperon! How revolting! I had not been off of the island my home is on until four days ago. That was when we travelled to a larger city on a nearby island for my father had already found a ship to send me on…

_I sat in my bedroom, glaring at the dark red wood wall. A portrait of our family hung nearby, taken years ago. My father stood with his arm around my mother and the other hand on Koun's shoulder. He was no more than ten in this picture. I stood to the right of him and Ryda stood on the other side of me. Angrily I walked over to it and yanked it off the wall, tossing it onto the ground. _

"_I heard what mom and dad said," Ryda's voice stated from the doorway. I looked over to see him standing at the entrance with crossed arms. He had changed out of his school uniform and now wore a dark red summer outfit that seemed to make his eyes glow. His eyes looked at where I had tossed the family painting. "I never liked that picture anyways." _

"_Go away, curly," I insulted him with a steady glare. He sauntered into my room past me and sat on the edge of my bed. _

"_I always wondered why you had blue eyes," He commented at last. "I haven't seen them on anyone else." _

"_You're lucky," I replied sourly. "You didn't inherit this…curse." _

_Ryda's eyes darkened as he responded mysteriously. "No, I'm not." _

_I turned away from him and walked over to a large window that let bright light into my room. I could feel the sun's heat on my face. Not being a firebender had not bothered me my whole life. I just wanted to live the life that I had been raised for: To marry another noble and have a family. That was now a lost dream because of…because of what I am. I did not turn back to look at my brother. "I suppose this is a goodbye than." _

_I heard him rise from my bed. "Yeah," He answered me. He stood there for several seconds before saying, "May Agni guide you." I looked back to look at him in surprise for my brother and I always fought. He had already walked out of my bedroom. _

That was the last time I spoke to my brother before I left. Soran said goodbye to me in his caring, but formal manner. Out of all the people in our household, I would miss him. I…I was angry at my parents. I did not even what to say goodbye to them…

_Soran stood with us on our family's private dock, looking at the ferry ship that would take my parents and I to another island to go to the city. Ryda would be staying behind because of school. He was not a particularly tall man, but even he towered over me. A firm hand settled onto my shoulder as he looked at me with heavy, hazel eyes. "Well…this is it," He said gruffly. I had to keep the tears of anger down as I looked back at him. It wasn't fair! _

"_Yes," I said in a low voice. I glanced witheringly over at my parents, distracted by the presence of Ryda. Telling him to keep out of trouble, I'm sure. He could manage that in the day and half they'd be gone. My thoughts turned dark at the thought that I wouldn't be returning with them. "I hate them," I added spitefully. _

_Soran squeezed my shoulder and pulled me into a quick embrace, something he hadn't done since I was young. He had taught me the rules of formality between a servant and a noble after all. "You don't mean that," He whispered near my ear. "Try to understand them." _

_I kept back a disbelieving snort. "Watch Ryda for me," I said, pulling away from his embrace. "Not that I do in the first place." _

_Of course not," Soran said with a slight smirk. He gave me a quick bow. Then he walked over to my parents to say goodbye to them. I walked onto the ferry and looked back at my home, nestled up between the hills. I kept down the temptation to throw a wild fit on deck as I first put my foot onto it. When would I see it next? I couldn't believe it…why was this happening to me?!_

I have not hated my parents before. Perhaps for small things as a young child, but never like this. The…the intensity of what I feel…about everything. I'm…I'm just so angry! Yet a true lady must control themselves. However much I may not want to at times. That night I sat in one of the bedrooms we had rented at one of the finest inns in town….

_It was simple, but comfortable enough. I stood in front of my bed, fingering the few items I had brought. The dinner with my mother and my father had been awkwardly quiet. I had left that blasted erhu instrument behind. Another thing I would not miss I supposed. _

_The door creaked open, revealing my mother cautiously looking at me. "Go away," I said coldly, turning my back to her. I heard her foot steps as she sat behind me on the bed. _

"_Rana, I'm sorry," She said in her sad, but please understand tone. I was disgusted instantly. "There's so much you don't know. I have some things to tell you…" I stood still, holding in an angry tirade. I had always been the good child. _

"_There is something special about our family," My mother began, as if readying herself for a long tale. "Our family has always been associated with the Society, an organization of bodyguards whom protect nobles and whoever else hires them in the Fire Nation. They only do one thing free, and that is the protection of the Royal Family." My mother paused as if it were difficult for her to breath. "Our family is the one who gets to do so. A child for every Royal male heir. My sister was the closest in age in the whole family when the Fire Lord was born. She was chosen. When it happened…she became dead to our family. Only the parents of those taken know, until their children have children. Or the Society tells them." _

_My mother touched me on the arm, but I shrugged her away. What was this truth? It seemed unbelievable, but to think of the honor that it meant for my family. A family, for all its nobility, I had thought unimportant to the country. I turned to look at her sorrowful golden eyes. The family eyes. They had a wider shape than normal to them, just as my own did. A trait, I realized now, that had to be from my Water Tribe peasant grandmother. "My sister, Rana, whom you are named after, was captured during the war by the Water Tribe. She returned here to say goodbye and to go back to be with the man she loved," My mother continued softly. "She is a waterbender like you. I thought that…that if you're gift was ignored, than you could lead a normal life here. My aunt was like the both of you, yet she couldn't live here normally. I didn't want that for you." _

_I glared at her teary eyes that she shed for herself. "You were wrong," I stated hatefully. "I could have lived a normal life here…if it weren't for you!" _

_My mother bowed her head for a second. "I understand how you feel right now, Rana, but-"_

"_No, you don't!" I snapped. "You've no idea what it's like to have your future snatched from you…by the ones who are supposed to love you!" _

_A few moments passed. My mother stood and grabbed something from inside her clothing. She grabbed my hand gracefully and slipped something into my palm. "This was my grandmother's, my aunt's, and then my sister's," She said quietly. "My grandfather had this made for my grandmother and now it is yours." She kissed my head and walked out of the room. I opened my palm to see a silver chain and on it a small blue stone, wrapped in a twisted silver design. I looked at the night window, tempted to throw it out. Instead, I put it on and hid it underneath my shirt. _

* * *

I was pulled out of my reminiscing as I fingered the necklace that lay underneath my clothing. To think that it had been passed down from my great-grandmother to all of her descendants with her blue eyes and waterbending…what a curse…

I looked back down at the water. Could I really bend such an element? Yet those two glasses of wine back at home…I had been so angry! I shook my head and headed down below to sleep. My parents had been respectful enough at least to pay for my own private quarters. Agni, the thought of having to share a room, especially with a peasant!

At the end of the week, the ship made port for the first time at an Earth Kingdom town. It was a trading town and lived from the life of the sea. The crew and captain had left me alone, much to my thanks to Agni. What would I have to say to such low-lives? For the last week aboard the ship, my feet had wobbled on the deck and my food had gone…over board. I relished at the opportunity to step onto land, even if it was not my beloved home land.

The market was right by the port, large enough for such a simple town, I supposed. It was bustling with life. I wandered through the crowd, trying not to breath in all the smells of the peasantry and the crowd. There were many booths with vendors yelling at the passerby to by their product. The sun shined over head, bright and cheerful. One man yelled at me from a jewelry booth, "You, young lady! Would you like see my wares? This necklace would suit you!"

I shook my head and kept walking, but bumped right into someone. "Watch were you're going, peasant!" I hissed at the person. The person was taller than me and dressed in dark blue clothing. I was surprised when the figure turned around to see a girl around my age. I almost stepped back in shock. She…she had my mother's eyes. The exact color and shape. Her skin was darker like the shade of the earth and her black hair was pulled back with intertwining braids. She was exotic and beautiful, as much as I dislike admitting it. I have...rarely dealt with another girl my age before.

"Excuse me?" She asked with a tone of frustration. "You're the one who bumped into me!" She put her hands on her waist, staring at me curiously. Her dark blue clothing…the element…

"You should watch were you're going," I drawled. "It's considered rude where I come from to bump into someone like that."

"Obviously where you come from, they did a bad job teaching you manners!" She hurled back. "I hope not all people in the Fire Nation behave like you."

I took a surprised step backwards. How did she know that? "How do you know that?" I demanded.

"Please, with your stark, red clothing, it just screams Fire Nation," She answered me with a smirk. "I'm betting you're some stuffy noble from the way you act." I gasped at her remark. How..how dare she say such a thing to me! Of all the… "What's your name," She asked with raised eyebrows. "I usually like to know the names of people I want to avoid in the future."

"Rana," I responded, not knowing what to say to her outrageous behavior.

The girl's eyes widened as she looked at me. "Are…are you from the Suzuki family?" She asked hesitantly.

_What in the name of Agni…?_

"Yes, I am," I admitted grudgingly. The crowd still hurried around us as the girl and I were lost in our own little world.

"You…you must be my cousin or something," She said at last in shock. "My mother sent me to live with my Aunt Narimi in the Fire Nation to learn my firebending. I'm on my way there. That was her name once...Rana."

This..this was _her?_The girl whose firebending had given her mother idea to send her to my parents…and thus for them to send me to the Northern Water Tribe. Agni! I am related to this…this peasant? "Narimi is my mother," I said stiffly. "She decided to send me to your home to learn my bending." I had a letter from my mother to give to my aunt upon my arrival, to explain why I was there.

"You're a waterbender?" The girl asked surprised. She tilted her head as she looked at me. "I should have realized it before; you look a lot like my mother. You have her eyes." I did not want to admit it, but this…cousin looked more like my own mother than I ever would. Except for her skin color. I hated her for it. She…she had the firebending, my family eyes, and she was from the Water Tribe!

"It's because of you I am being sent to the North Pole," I spat wrathfully. "You ruined my life!" The girl started at me speechless. "I wish I wasn't related to you. I am nobility! You…you are nothing but a filthy peasant!" I did the most unlady like thing and spat at her feet. A flash of anger and distress entered her golden eyes. I scowled at her before running away.

I weaved in and out of the crowd until I hid away on my room in the ship. I collapsed onto the small bed, feeling the tears of denial and sullen anger fall freely. _I hated her! I hated my parents! _All of the anger swayed and built, just ready to boil over like a violent storm. Why did it have to be me? What had I done to deserve this?

_Why?_

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updating! On a sidenote, I have started another prequel to Some Distant Day about the grandmother that all of the Rana's are descended from. This will be my first OC story dealing with a family member who is not a bodygaurd. And the Tale of Tadao is complete, another prequel about the bodygaurd to Ozai. Thanks for reading and please review!


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